The Thread® - Books and Literary News

The Thread from MPR News

The Thread® is your source for book recommendations and other literary news.

Ask a Bookseller

Ask a Bookseller is a weekly series where The Thread checks in with booksellers around the country about their favorite books of the moment. Listen to Ask a Bookseller to find your next favorite book.

Big Books and Bold Ideas

Big Books and Bold Ideas is a weekly series hosted by Kerri Miller every Friday at 11 a.m., featuring conversations about books and other literary ideas. Listen to Big Books and Bold Ideas here.

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Sign up for The Thread newsletter to get reading recommendations from Kerri Miller and other bookworms around the MPR newsroom. Find reviews for new releases, as well as hidden gems you may have missed.

Talking Volumes

Talking Volumes is back for its 25th season. Join us at the Fitzgerald Theater for four special events with renowned authors, celebrating our anniversary with a special $25 ticket price for MPR members and Star Tribune subscribers. Buy tickets here.

From the archives: 'Love People, Use Things'
On this Friday’s Big Books and Bold Ideas, Kerri Miller talks with novelist Jakob Guanzon, whose book “Abundance” tells the story of a young man, raising a child alone, on the razor’s edge of poverty. It reminded us of the insightful conversation we had last July with The Minimalists about how freeing up space in your home also frees up space in your life.
From the archives: Author Sue Miller on her novel 'Monogamy'
This Friday’s Big Books and Bold Ideas show features a conversation between host Kerri Miller and journalist and writer Kathryn Schulz about her new memoir, “Lost and Found.” As we anticipate that discussion, enjoy this one with Sue Miller from 2020, which also explores complex family dynamics.
Take it to the Lake: Three booksellers share their must-read summer titles
How adventurous is your summer reading list this year? MPR News host Kerri Miller talks with there booksellers who give us nine must-read, fairly new titles during her “Take it to the Lake” summer reading special.
From the archives: The science —  and joy  — of sweat
Are you ready to sweat? This conversation from July 2021 will get you in the mood. It will also whet your appetite for this Friday’s Big Books and Bold Ideas show, a “Take it to the Lake” special, where three booksellers recommend the best books for summer reading.
8 books to celebrate Pride Month
From books about the history of AIDS activism and affecting personal narratives to cozy mysteries and plenty of romance, we've rounded up eight books to help you mark Pride Month.
Columnist Tamar Haspel on the joy and adventure of firsthand food
Prolific food journalist and self-proclaimed “crappy gardener” Tamar Haspel chronicles her adventures to raise or grow her own food in her new book, “To Boldly Grow.” It’s a funny and practical look at the joys and challenges of firsthand food.
From the archives: The gift of a garden in troubled times
On this Friday’s Big Books and Bold Ideas, MPR News host Kerri Miller talks with Tamar Haspel about her garden, which Haspel details in her new book “To Boldly Grow.” So we thought it was fitting to bring back a warm and introspective conversation with landscape designer Rebecca Winn for this week’s deep-cut track, where Winn shares how her garden was her restoration after heartbreak.
Author Marie Myung-Ok Lee on her new novel 'The Evening Hero'
Minnesota-born Marie Myung-Ok Lee mines her own history for a wry new novel about a northern Minnesota doctor who learns his hospital is being closed by the corporation that bought it. That decision upends a previously quiet and controlled life. On this week’s Big Books and Bold Ideas, host Kerri Miller talks with Lee about her new novel, “The Evening Hero.”